"I'd rather have the ability to do it rather than not do it. It's more important to help the dog than it is to worry about people's feelings," Randall Whittinghill of Silver Lake said.

Others, like dog owner April Rocha, said they agreed with the concept but said they worried people could take advantage of the law.

"I think that should just be logic. If you see a dog in distress, break the window if you can't find the owner," Rocha of Boyle Heights said. "I think some people might take it a little far, like they see a dog in there and go a little nuts. I think it depends on the condition, but I think people may take advantage and go extreme."

The legislators were scheduled to introduce the bill during a Humane Society rally on Tuesday in Sacramento.